AuthorTopic: Cutting a small bead in half, through the hole, to make two tiny round cabs (Read 2991 times)

Hi,This may be a dumb question but I have a LOT of small gemstone beads [like 8mm round faceted or like rectangular flat beads].I'd like to take my 4" Trim saw and cut them in half [through the hole] and then take my flatlap and smooth out the back to make cabs.

I've heard that you shouldn't cut all the way through, but rather cut around the bead to avoid a 'blow out' at the back.

I saw a video image showing a wire through the hole to hold it by, but that would leave a cab with a hole in the top. I want to cut off the hole by cutting through it.How in heck do you hold a small bead while sawing through it....or do you just handhold it? or dop it on the rounded side?

You ideally could dop (superglue and golf tees come to mind) both sides for extra precision and stability. Obviously a really thin and good blade would help, but going slow toward the end sounds about as effective as rolling the bead (near the end of the cut). I cut a lot of small beach pebbles, but beads should be similar. Tom

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Combining a love of bikes (pedal and otherwise) with hiking, hounding, lapidary, and the great outdoors

Peruano - Re the golf tees for daps.....I love that. I was gonna donate my very old golf clubs to a yard sale but I think I'll take the tees out of the bag first [giggle] I've heard of using heat from a torch on a nail to get the superglue off of a metal dap. How do you get it off of a wooden tee without wrecking the bead?

Lithicbeads - re 'perfectly perpendicular to the long axis of the dop' good point.

removal from a golf tee without damaging the bead would probably involve damaging the tee, . . . or probably placing it in the sun would be enough heat to weaken the super glue, . . . but that glue is water soluble and it might take a few days of soaking to weaken it. Because you are working with small sizes, it should be easy to dislodge the bead halves.

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Combining a love of bikes (pedal and otherwise) with hiking, hounding, lapidary, and the great outdoors

Actually, I have Kate Wolf Sticky Wax which works wonderfully and is totally reusable, that I use when I set small cabs in bezels.It holds quite well and wouldn't be bothered by water, and to remove the sticky wax you just peel it off. I could but a blob on each side and hold the bead with 2 hands and if any of the residue sticks to the stone bead, alcohol cleans that smear off perfectly. YEAH!!! Thanks everybody for your terrific help.